The Xbox Files

Your work as an IT professional never ends. When you're not poking your
head behind a patch panel, tackling a list of troubleshooting tickets,
or translating napkin drawings into a real project, you've opted to spend
some of your free time nosing through resource kits, exam guides and other
resources to bone up on a Microsoft exam. Then, some of you have families
that take up what time is left. With the few moments that remain after
all that, why would you choose to play video games?

Past history dictates that I should not own another gaming system. I
say this based on my propensity to remain enraptured for hours into the
early morning, trying to attain one more conquest, rescue or kill. I resisted
up until a few weeks ago. With my will broken, I went online and purchased
a Microsoft Xbox. It's no secret that Microsoft's hyped up entry into
the video gaming niche competes directly with Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo
GameCube, but the offer was put in front of me to explore the Xbox's potential
as a networked, broadband-ready home computing device. That the Xbox's
innards are on par with my circa-1997 home PC and has potential for being
customized is worth exploring even further.

The Beast from Within
The basic Xbox comes with the typical components you'll find on its competitors:
a console with a media tray, a controller and RCA-style cables for hooking
up the unit directly to a TV. The console has slots for four controllers
on the front of the unit, plus a 10/100 Ethernet port slot on the back
of the unit to accommodate broadband access. Microsoft just completed
successful beta trials of the Xbox Live service, which the company plans
to launch this summer.

Figure 1. Xbox console, back and top-front. The
back view shows the 10/100 Ethernet port to the right, for broadband-ready
gaming, due later this summer.

Inside the unit is a 733MHz Pentium III paired with a 233MHz nVidia graphics
processor chip; 64MB RAM; a DVD drive, and an 8GB hard drive. Only about
two gigs are taken up by the machine's applications and processing, which
leaves nearly 6GB for saving game progress. You can save your game progress
and make it portable using an optional memory unit, which slips into one
of two slots on the front of the controllers. Table 1 shows the configuration
of the Xbox, compared to other gaming systems and a typical PC. Other
optional accessories include an HDTV cable, wheel/foot pedal controller,
and DVD playback unit.

a. This is my circa-1997 PC at home. This
might not be your PC, but then again I only make an editor's wage.
Prices are shown circa 1997; a comparably equipped 2002 PC for approx.
$800 might include an Athlon XP Processor, 256MB RAM, 40GB hard drive,
and DVD-ROM.b. Sources: Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo

Looks Can Be Deceiving
While the Xbox closely resembles a PC in many ways, a Microsoft spokesperson
dismissed this comparison emphatically: "It's first and foremost a gaming
console." What makes the Xbox slightly better is that it actually boots
up and load games quickly—PCs still can't do that. Xbox isn't a PC
nor is it intended to replace one, but, then again, a shoe is not a hammer.

Figure 2. Abe the wage slave facing another day
at the office (from Oddworld: Munch's Oddyssey)

All of this sophisticated hardware in such a small case for a mere $299
U.S. retail hasn't gone unnoticed by folks prone to attempt a reverse-engineer
of the Xbox's mystery operating system (rumored to be a stripped down
Windows 2000 kernel) and security-hardened hard drive so that it can be
turned into an inexpensive PC. For one thing, the Xbox hard drive isn't
so security hardened as to be impenetrable. One Xbox feature lets you
copy music tracks from your favorite CDs to the hard drive, which means
the potential for loading software and applications exists.

Supersize
It

If Xbox isn't the evolution of the inexpensive PC,
perhaps the rumored HomeStation is. This, according
to Prudential Securities analyst Hans Mosesmann, as
reported in EBN.com. In an article entitled "Microsoft
reported to ready all-in-one home gateway," Bruce Gain
reports that Mosesmann sees hints in Microsoft's partnerships
at a convergence of technologies that may evolve into
HomeStation, a PC-type unit that combines traditional
computing functions with gaming, a high-end audio receiver,
superior graphics, and broadband capabilities. Asked
to verify Mosesmann's findings, a Microsoft spokesperson
says that the rumor is "erroneous." Nonetheless, Mosesmann
is onto something: a PC as inexpensive and as easy to
set up and use as a gaming console for your average
consumer. If Microsoft does as he predicts, perhaps
"a HomeStation in every living room" might become the
new Microsoft mantra.

A search of newsgroups already shows dozens of messages with hackers
hinting at cracking open the unit and going even further—naturally,
in violation of any end user license agreement and software laws. Plans
include configuring a controller port for a keyboard or replacing the
operating system with Linux. It's lots of work, but someone's pioneering
efforts can pave the way to a more simplified, repeatable process. (No,
I didn't cook up this crazy idea in my head. I found one particular thread
discussing such a scenario at microsoft.public.xbox newsgroup—your
own research might turn up dozens more.)

Even more useful is the idea of networking beyond games. The Xbox's Ethernet
port is useless at the moment, but Microsoft plans to render networked,
multi-user gaming revenue from it in late summer. Networked games aren't
some new Microsoft innovation, just an outgrowth of existing networked
PC gaming. In much the same way that PCs can be peer networked, there
exists the potential of peer networking dozens or hundreds of reengineered
Xboxes, at a much lower cost per unit than even cheap Pentium III-based
PCs.

The Xbox as inexpensive Linux box or peered networking machines are mythical
ideas at the moment. Another one is that Microsoft will make strides in
future versions to make it resemble a PC functionally. Microsoft has denied
media reports suggesting that the company has plans in the works to do
so (see "Supersize It").

Additional
Information

My Internet-based research has turned up no enterprising
company with the innovation to create a game that might
help MCP candidates prepare for exams or IT wannabes
to understand subnetting. That being the case, here
some less helpful resources that will make your gaming
experience more productive:

Generation i's Xbox gaming portal, with up-to-date
info on games and news on Xbox and aftermarket products.
http://xbox.ign.com/

Want to win an Xbox? Several dozen sites use them
as incentives, including MCPmag.com. A quick Google
search of the phrase "win an xbox" (including the
parentheses) resulted in at least 30 legitimate contests,
including our friends at Sunbelt Software http://www.sunbelt-software.com/.
(After that many clicks, I've given up searching.)

Okay, Just One More Level
Microsoft Xbox, plain and simple, is a well-designed, easy-to-set-up gaming
console that lacks depth in its game offerings. With just one game, I
find that I'm easily addicted and have even reassessed my TV viewing habits
to include at least an hour or two on the Xbox. The gaming niche has room
enough for another competitor, it seems. But there's potential inside
the box, if Microsoft can be nudged to turn it into an affordable, networked
computer for the masses.